Stories From the Frontline ~ Oceti Oyate Dec. 20, 2016

12-16-16 ~ Kellie Love… WE ARE THE FIRST GROUP OF WATER PROTECTORS WHO WERE ARRESTED AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!
We are in a situation right now where we need media on our situation in order for the world to know what’s going on. The judge has so far approved every motion granted by the States attorney and has denied every one of our motions.

Right now, the states attorney, same guy who tried to charge Amy Goodman with terrorism for covering the story of Standing Rock, is asking the court to disallow all of our video and evidence that would prove our innocence and uphold our constitutional right to express under our first amendment, while simultaneously submitted false lies against us.

Please share!!!! We would love to have an interview with Amy Goodman so that the public can know what’s going on. What happens in our cases will affect the rest of the cases behind us. We need a really good legal advice and media to support us.

Please stand with us and help! Share and keep us in your prayers!

12-16-16 ~ Bixi Nibe… My day in pics…these are the governments of the UN meeting with indigenous representatives and One “Navajo Ambassador”. I … was sooo happy he introduced himself as Ambassador. Power to our peoples!! Water is Life, Indigenous at the UN. We Stand.

12-15-16 ~ Magpie Waters Productions… Didn’t they see the “No Trespassing” signs all over the West? It was their manifest destiny to tame the wilderness, to make canals out of rivers and streams. To bring different plants, animals, and ways to the West. A West that was great but the greed of railroad companies, timber barons, fur trade companies, and miners and pioneers decimated the once Great West. Teddy Roosevelt and other influential politicians and people set aside lands to be preserved to save what was left. Today in Standing Rock the Warriors of the Rainbow fight to protect the water of millions of people now. They are also fighting for their ancestors then. Validating their ways, their strength and their sacrifice for now. They fight for the future too, bless them, pray for them because the fight is still on because greed will not stop, it cannot be satisfied, but it can be beat with unity in purpose.

12-14-16 ~ UPDATE Greg Grey Cloud… Today my little brothers are in between Howard and Madison South Dakota. One horse has had a minor laceration to a rear leg. He now is being trailered and cared for properly. Nothing to worry about. Dakota 38 memorial ride is being led by the courageous Spirit Riders who also ride with the water protectors message! A number of photos for you to share and love. Phot credit by: Omri #Dakota38 #SpiritRiders #NoDAPL … Here are the Dakota 38 riders aka the spirit riders! They’ve made it to Howard SD! Only 13 more days and 260sum miles to go! Be proud of these young men, be very proud! The pride of crow creek! Still carrying the water protectors message as well as honoring our ancestors!

12-14-16 ~ Some were quoted as saying it was the first time they truly felt as though they were serving and protecting their country. One speech was made by a native veteran, who at one point said “The difference between a soldier and a warrior is that a soldier takes orders–a warrior does what’s right.”

Thankful for the veterans who came, those that have been here since the beginning, those who have stayed, and those who will come.

12-14-16… The Doctrine of Discovery was denounced and burned up on Standing Rock by Church Representatives & our relatives today! The Doctrine of Discovery is a major cause of our grandparents getting their hair cut off, beaten for speaking our language….this was a major reason why millions of our ancestors were killed around the world.

I believe the clergymen recognized that this also is a big reason our treaties were not honored, this is why Dakota Access Pipeline and Morton County, North Dakota have disregard our rights and removed our protectors…the reason why they terrorize our protectors for Standing Together peacefully and unarmed.

This is long overdue, but the strength and prayers for Standing Rock has awakend the true human spirit and has given courage to those who let the rich control them. There are good people in this world in all races and walks of life. The unity and prayers have united us to start taking the steps to make ammendments and work together!

12-14-16 ~…. Emmett ~ Ate… He drove himself to and from Standing Rock, 1 or 2 times a week, he was at home at camp, you could always find him by the fire, coffee in hand, visiting. This is during the announcement by Dave Archambault of the easement denial. And dad will continue going.

12-14-16 ~ Crystal Houser… I have a bit of a heavy heart today. My brother is about to enter into a dark period of his life and I will not be home to support him. I know my mother and sister miss me and worry about me daily and I just walked away from a job with one of the greatest bosses ever so I can stay here at Standing Rock. I am confident I am making the right decision, but guilt is weighing on me for sure.
To my family back home, thank you so much for your blessings and know I love you and think about you everyday. You give me the strength to stand and inspire me daily to fight for what is right. I’d be lost without you.

12-14-16 ~ Sophia Wilansky… Update: This is what my arm looks like as of Tuesday 12/13/16, 22 days after law enforcement on highway 1806 hit it with a grenade which exploded on contact, and 3 days after I was finally discharged from the hospital. The black rods are an external fixator (ex-fix) which is screwed into my bones to hold them in place; the bone is fractured and a piece is missing. I lost both arteries in my arm and one was replaced with a vein taken from my left leg; I am about to stop taking blood thinner shots but I will have to take aspirin for the rest of my life because a blood clot in the vein-turned-artery would make me lose the arm. Next, my arm was stuffed with a large piece of my lat muscle; I still have a device draining fluids from inside my back where the muscle was taken from. Finally, my arm was covered with a large skin graft taken from my right thigh. All of this skin will take at least a year to look relatively normal. In the bottom left corner of this photo you can see the bullet wound from where I was shot right before I was hit with the grenade.
-Sophia

12-13-16 ~ Vonda Eagle Horse, Oglala Lakota Sioux… “This is where I, Vonda Eagle Horse, Walks First Woman, Wounded Knee Descendant, American Indian Movement. I say, apologize for killing my grandpa James High Hawk, and remove those 22 medals of honor for killing all of our people down at Wounded Knee. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You should be ashamed of yourselves. There are rules in combat, and you never apologized for that. Who does that? Kind of like what we went through over here, tanks against tarps. I mean a whole million dollar fight against forty, fifty dollar donated tarps. That’s okay, because out of faith and fear, faith will always win. And you know, you need to apologize and stop making a spectacle of yourselves. The world is watching. The world knows. All these injustices and atrocities have now come to an end. We are now in a very holy moment. Remove those 22 Medals of Honor, please.

We forgave that, my dad, my children, we forgave that. We see this Wounded Knee Memorial Ride every year, and I’m honored to see our family and our people persevere through those elements and conditions. Yet, some of us have laid that to rest, and we’ve never gotten an apology, but we’ve laid that to rest. Our people will continue to do the Big Foot Ride until we get an apology for the Wounded Knee Massacre, and you take those 22 Medals of Honor away. Who does that? This was so precious to the United States government. They use to take the children and just rip them off their cradle boards and just execute them on tree trunks. Who does that? They’re kind of doing the same thing here at Oceti Sakowin, and if I lose my life up here, it’s very very valuable to me to see our people continue to survive…continue to go on.”

12-13-16 ~ Ancient One Returns to Tribes
For more than 20 years, Columbia Basin tribe’s have battled to have the remains of the over 9,000 year old Kennewick Man returned for reburial. Discovered in 1996, Kennewick Man, who is among the oldest and most complete skeletons found, has been subject to great controversy as Tribe’s sought to have the ancestor returned and the science community wanting to conduct studies on the remains. Continue Reading http://tinyurl.com/jj48pgc

12-12-16 ~ GREETINGS FROM THE NAHOLOWA’A OHANA
On Thursday, December 8, Bert Allen “B.A.” Naholowa’a suffered a heart attack. He was outside of the gas station near the Prairie Knights Casino. He was there doing maintenance on his RV. He’d been in the area since roughly November 26th serving as a volunteer medic to water protectors at Oceti Sakowin Camp.

B.A. received first aid, and an ambulance was called to assist him. He was taken to Fort Yates Hospital. He did not recover and passed away that day.

B.A. was Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian), American Irish, and American Chinese. B.A. was a second generation Air Force veteran. B.A. resided in Arizona. He is survived by 4 children, their mother and their partners, 8 grandchildren, 3 sisters and a large extended family.

From B.A.’s family:
“We were regularly in contact with dad while he was volunteering at the camp. He was honored to be there and of service to the camp community. Thanks to all that made his experience a good one. He walked on in a good way. We are sure he is in peace.

The Naholowa’a Ohana is happy to receive visitors for B.A. at a visitation on December 13th from 11 am to 1 pm at Dawise Perry Funeral Home in Mandan, North Dakota. Later his ashes will be taken home to Hawai‘i for further services.”

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We express our deepest sympathies to B.A.’s Ohana and want everyone to know that B.A. left a beautiful lasting impression on all who he had contact with. We don’t have words to describe the loss that those of us who had the honor of knowing B.A. are feeling; but we are grateful for the time we did get to spend with him – time well spent caring for the water protectors. We are also grateful that B.A.’s family could come to camp and hold a memorial service today. Those of us who were able to come were very blessed by the songs and ceremony.

We ask everyone to please give the family time and space to heal. We love you all.
-SRMHC
We Are The Media….. This elderly man spent his final days as a medic helping campers at Standing Rock! Thank you, Bert Allen “B.A.” Naholowa’a, for giving up your last days to help water protectors and everyone at the camps. His family says he walked along a good path and that campers made his experience a positive one. Be in peace; we are thinking of you and honoring your life today.

12-12-16 ~ Paul Bemore… My fav pic of vets gathering at Standing Rock! This is on the front line. I was amazed by this wheel chair bound protector standing tallest of us all!

‎12-13-16 ~ Fawn Lily‎… The government is lying. SHOCKER. I’m sure you all know. Yes, the fight is still on out here. We are still camping in subzero temperatures, for real. Oceti (now named All Nations), Rosebud, and Sacred Stone Camps all still stand.

DAPL IS STILL BUILDING.

Sadly, a large majority of people have abandoned us because they fell for the government’s tricks and think it’s over. “Victory” the media calls it? 46 dapl floodlights shining on camp every night tell us otherwise (check out the picture below).
x
I’ve been laying low because I realized how deeply intertwined into all this I have become. I was afraid and paranoid. I had to lay low.

I took the past few weeks to learn how to live. Wo Lakota means the way of life, the way of living, and that’s what we came out here to learn. How to sustain yourself and your community. I know I can learn so much more, but I feel ready to get back into my more mentally taxing work again and to continue to keep my tribe at home informed of the raw and honest T R U T H.

In respect of my fellow protectors out here and security culture, I cannot release any more details. Please just know we are still out here and spread the word.

Thank you all for the continuous love and support. I feel it everyday, from all over the world. But we need you all to know that the fight is still on, so you continue to send it our way.

11-12-16 ~ Dan Nanamkin… FreeIng cold today! Shared the duc n dive, the story n the relationship as i was told by my relative ottis halfmoon and gary door between the nimipoo and the hunkpapa! Im a representative of the walwama people so here i am! Was blessed by my paluse relative who sang washut in my yurt! I spoke to the youth to be proud of who they are, their way of their culture, language, the way they dress, the teachings of their elders and to learn their history and family! The fire burma bright inside each of you who were here!

12-12-16 ~ ‎Crystal Houser‎… I’m sorry that I haven’t been posting more updates for you all. There is so much to talk about, so much to write, so much to do. It is very difficult keeping a phone charged in the cold, and charging takes three times as long…I haven’t had a full charge since I arrived, reception has been poor during the storms… And again, there is so much to do. Even if there wasn’t, it would be a travesty to be stuck on my phone out here….I want to share with you, but I’m busy living it, really experiencing it.

I can say that morale at Oceti Sakowin feels a little better today with a slight change in the weather and a renewal of the Sacred Fire. The fire drives spiritual morale. My first morning I heard the fire was put out “because our prayers have already been answered”…. To some degree, perhaps many degrees, this is true… But DAPL is still here, Morton County is still at the roadblock, Merc private security presence is no secret… We are still praying, still staying.

I’ve been writing a lot and will share when it is time. I love you all and on behalf of all of us here, I thank you for your continued support.
And we could use more cough medicine, decongestant, expectorant, oregano…. Yes, oregano. Charged pocket chargers for our phones would help us keep in touch better too. Thank you again.